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🚨 Liverpool know they need a long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah and are lining up Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh as an option. A bid worth over £100M would be needed to prize him away from Brighton. Minteh’s progress will be monitored closely from now until the end of the season.
Report: Liverpool prepared to spend big on potential Salah successor who’s already wowed Slot
Liverpool are reportedly prepared to break the bank for a prospective successor to Mo Salah on the right flank.
Even after the expensive acquisitions of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak this year, the Reds continue to be linked with potential attacking signings for 2026, with Antoine Semenyo and Michael Olise prominent among the names being mentioned.
Another rumoured transfer target has now emerged for the Premier League champions, and it’s a player who Arne Slot already knows quite well.
Liverpool prepared to spend big on Yankuba Minteh
According to Footy-Africa (via CaughtOffside), Liverpool are prepared to pay in excess of £100m for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh as a prospective succession plan to Salah.
The report claims that no official bid has yet been made by the Reds, although ‘insiders suggest’ that discussions between the two clubs ‘could accelerate’ in the weeks leading up to the January transfer window.
Minteh is talented but replacing Salah would be a tall order
Slot is already well aware of the 21-year-old’s qualities, having previously managed him at Feyenoord, and the LFC head coach has spoken glowingly about the Gambia international’s qualities.
The Dutchman said (via Fatu Network): “He certainly doesn’t lack self-confidence. His willingness to give everything is enormous. When we see his statistics, it is really impressive. Minteh ran more sprint metres against Ajax in an hour than many players in two games. He is incredibly fast, and he wants it so badly.”
As illustrated by statistics from FBref and in the table below, the Brighton winger ranks highly among positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for a number of metrics, particularly standing out for his ball-carrying ability and his work when out of possession.
Minteh since November 2024Average per 90 minutesPercentile among positional peers in Europe’s 5 main leaguesProgressive carries4.982ndSuccessful take-ons2.4593rdTackles2.5397thClearances1.3189th
However, one area where the 21-year-old has plenty of room for improvement is probably the most important of all for a forward – goalscoring. He’s netted just eight times in 47 games for the Seagulls, with 23 in 101 senior career appearances so far (Transfermarkt).
Salah has scored a minimum of 23 goals in each of his eight full seasons at Liverpool, and while that output may have sharply decreased this term, it’s still an incredibly high bar for Minteh to try and emulate.
The likelihood of the Reds paying £100m for the Brighton winger is quite low, and for all his underlying qualities and scope to get even better over the next few years, he doesn’t appear to be what LFC need for now.
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Arsenal injury, suspension list and return dates vs. Portsmouth: Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera latest
Arsenal will begin their bid to win the FA Cup for the 15th time in their history when they travel to Fratton Park for Sunday’s meeting with Championship strugglers Portsmouth.
The Gunners missed the chance to further extend their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table in Thursday’s underwhelming goalless draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
While their five-game winning league run came to an end, Mikel Arteta will be pleased with the fact that his side are now unbeaten in seven competitive matches ahead of Sunday’s cup tie and Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up all of Arsenal’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of the clash with Portsmouth, who are languishing in 21st spot in the Championship standings.
Piero Hincapie
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: January 11 (vs. Portsmouth)
Hincapie was forced off with what appeared to be a muscle problem in the 57th minute of Thursday’s draw with Liverpool. Arteta now faces a nervous wait to discover the full extent of the defender’s injury.
Kai Havertz
Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Match fitness
Possible return date: January 11 (vs. Portsmouth)
Havertz has recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of action for months. However, he has been left out of Arsenal’s last two matchday squads as he continues to build up his fitness. There is a possibility that the forward could make his first appearance since August in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
Riccardo Calafiori
Status: Out
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: January 14 (vs. Chelsea)
Calafiori has sat out Arsenal’s last four matches with a muscle injury. The defender is making progress in his recovery, but he is not expected to be ready for the upcoming trip to the south coast.
Cristhian Mosquera
Status: Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: January 14 (vs. Chelsea)
Like Calafiori, Mosquera is closing in on a return to action after missing over a month of action due to an ankle injury. However, the former Valencia defender will not be available for selection this weekend.
Max Dowman
Status: Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: Unknown
Max Dowman is likely to be out until February after sustaining an ankle problem while playing for Arsenal Under-21s in last month’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United.
ARSENAL’S SUSPENSION LIST
Arsenal have no players suspended for the third-round tie.
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Full confirmed list of Arsenal ins and outs in January transfer window as first deal announced
Arsenal transfer ins and outs as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta get to work in the January window
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal remain in the driving seat to clinch the Premier League title crown this season – and they could strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad to bolster their chances.
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Whether or not the right players are out there remains to be seen, but with Arteta enduring several injury blows already this season – particularly in defence – the manager will be keeping a close eye on potential targets.
The Gunners splashed the cash in the summer, bringing in the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera to the Emirates Stadium – so a loan deal might favour the club
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There could also be high-profile exits, both loans and permanent deals, with young midfield talent Ethan Nwaneri linked with an exit. Other youngsters could also make loan moves to get a taste of first-team football.
With that said, football.london takes a closer look at all the moves completed by Arsenal so far this January.
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News Liverpool’s injury list, suspensions and availability
Read the latest information on injuries, suspensions and availability in the Liverpool men’s squad.
Injuries
Hugo Ekitike
Ekitike was unavailable for the clash with Fulham because of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Arne Slot was asked whether he will be fit for the game at Arsenal on January 8.
Slot on January 7: “He has not trained with us until now and let’s see if he can today.
“I’ve said, I think, two or three days ago when we played Fulham that he is not going to be out for long but because games come so fast he is in between maybe training with the team or it would take him one or two days extra.”
Wataru Endo
The midfielder has been out of action with an ankle injury since appearing in the 3-3 draw at Leeds United on December 6.
Alexander Isak
Isak is facing a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture on December 22.
He sustained the issue while scoring against Tottenham Hotspur two days prior.
Slot on December 23: “It’s going to be a long injury. For a couple of months. That’s a big, big, big disappointment for him and as a result of that of course also for us.”
Slot did also confirm he is confident Isak will be able to play again during the 2025-26 season.
Giovanni Leoni
The defender is amid a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Slot on September 26: “He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for a year. Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game… it’s very hard to take the positive side.
“There’s never a positive side – but you always try to look at a positive side and that is that he is still so young, so he has so many years still to go after he recovers from a terrible injury like that.”
Availability
Mohamed Salah
After featuring off the bench versus Brighton on December 13, the forward is now with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah scored in the group games against Zimbabwe and South Africa to help his country reach the last 16. They are next in action on January 5.
Suspensions
Conor Bradley
Bradley is one yellow card away from receiving a one-match suspension in the Champions League.
The Reds travel to Marseille on January 21 for matchday seven of the league phase and then host Qarabag a week later.
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